Track 1-02: Development and Impact of Sown Tropical Species

Description

Brachiaria humidicola is well adapted to infertile and acid soils with poor drainage or temporary flooding (Keller-Grein et al. 1996). It is widely used in Brazil in wetlands and areas of marginal land characterised by waterlogged soils. During the evaluation stages of the breeding program of this species, genotypes are generally tested using consecutive cuts within different seasons for at least 2 years. The ‘Cerrado’ region, where most animal production takes place in Brazil, has 2 well defined seasons: spring-summer with warm weather and rain; and autumn-winter with cooler, dry weather. Thus, owing to environmental variation, especially related to climate, it is important to investigate the main effects of environmental factors (years and seasons), as well as interactions between genotypes and environmental factors in order to have greater confidence in the selection of superior hybrids of B. humidicola on the basis of agronomic and nutritional traits.

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Effect of Season and Year of Evaluation in the Selection of Brachiaria humidicola Hybrids

Brachiaria humidicola is well adapted to infertile and acid soils with poor drainage or temporary flooding (Keller-Grein et al. 1996). It is widely used in Brazil in wetlands and areas of marginal land characterised by waterlogged soils. During the evaluation stages of the breeding program of this species, genotypes are generally tested using consecutive cuts within different seasons for at least 2 years. The ‘Cerrado’ region, where most animal production takes place in Brazil, has 2 well defined seasons: spring-summer with warm weather and rain; and autumn-winter with cooler, dry weather. Thus, owing to environmental variation, especially related to climate, it is important to investigate the main effects of environmental factors (years and seasons), as well as interactions between genotypes and environmental factors in order to have greater confidence in the selection of superior hybrids of B. humidicola on the basis of agronomic and nutritional traits.